The US announced the seizure of a tanker flying the Russian flag

On January 7, the US Departments of Justice and Homeland Security announced the seizure of the oil tanker Bella 1 (new name: Marinera) "for violating US sanctions," according to the US European Command.

"The vessel was detained in the North Atlantic on the basis of a warrant issued by a US federal court after it was tracked by a US Coast Guard ship," he said in a post on social media platform X.

Reuters previously reported, citing two unnamed US officials, that the US was attempting to detain the oil tanker Marinera, which flies the Russian flag and is linked to Venezuela. According to Reuters, the tanker was located near Iceland.

The operation followed "more than two weeks of pursuit" of the tanker across the Atlantic and after it passed through the US naval blockade for ships under sanctions and did not allow the US Coast Guard to board, Reuters reports.

Russian military vessels, including a submarine, were near the tanker at the time of the operation, Reuters sources said. The seizure of the tanker could increase tensions between the US and Russia, the agency warned. This is the first recent case in which the US has attempted to seize a Russian-flagged vessel, it notes.

Marinera is an empty oil tanker formerly known as Bella 1. It transmitted location data indicating that it made an unexpected turn at 11:26 GMT toward northwestern Scotland, the FT writes. Air traffic data showed three US Air Force Pilatus U-28 Draco aircraft flying north from Wick in northern Scotland, the newspaper added. An RAF P-8 Poseidon aircraft, which can be used for anti-submarine warfare and reconnaissance, was flying in the same direction, the publication claims.

In addition, the US Coast Guard intercepted another tanker linked to Venezuela in Latin American waters, US officials told Reuters. The US Southern Command later reported that it was a "shadow fleet tanker under sanctions, with no country of origin." The tanker was detained in international waters in the Caribbean Sea. The vessel in question is the M/T Sophia.

The US Department of Defense did not respond to the Financial Times' request for comment at the time of publication. The UK Prime Minister's Office declined to comment on "the operational activities of other states."

The cost of Brent crude oil contracts for March delivery rose 0.13% to $60.8 per barrel at the time of publication, according to data from the Intercontinental Exchange. The price of futures rose compared to the morning of January 7, when Brent was trading at less than $60 per barrel.

Futures on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 in the US remained in the red before the start of regular trading: the former fell by 0.1%, while the latter dropped by 0.2%. Futures on the Dow Jones gained 0.07%.

US Coast Guard officers attempted to intercept the vessel in December, according to Reuters. This occurred in the Caribbean Sea, when the tanker was believed to be heading towards Venezuela, the BBC reports. The Coast Guard had a warrant to seize the vessel on charges of violating US sanctions and supplying Iranian oil. But the vessel then changed course, changed its name, and re-registered under the Russian flag, the BBC claims. The ship was sold to a Russian company, the FT reports, without naming the company. Reuters and the BBC do not report under which country's flag the tanker had previously sailed. The FT writes that the ship sailed under a "false Guyanese flag." On the VesselFinder website, the Bella-1 is listed as sailing under the Guyanese flag.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor